The present invention relates to kiln furniture and, more particularly, to low mass, porous refractory ceramic articles useful as kiln furniture.
Kiln furniture refers to the refractory shapes used to support ceramic ware during the firing process and includes shelves, contoured supports and spacers which are referred to in the industry as batts, setters (box, plate, yoke-ring) and the like. These refractory shapes must not only be able to withstand the high temperatures encountered in firing ceramics, but must also be strong enough to support the necessary load of the ceramic at firing temperature without deforming. Also of great importance, the kiln furniture must be reusable, a property demanding highly thermal shock resistant material.
Recent advances in high speed or fast-firing kilns in the ceramics industry have led to the possibility of improved economics in the manufacture of ceramic ware as a direct result of potential for fuel reduction during the firing cycle. In order to take maximum advantage of these potentially available process cost reductions, however, it is necessary to employ kiln furniture which is of low mass and yet which possesses extremely high thermal shock resistance in order to withstand the thermal cycling which characterizes the newer kiln designs and firing processes. Added to this is the need to provide kiln furniture of a variety of shapes and configurations as needs may dictate, as well as furniture having smooth surfaces suitable for supporting shapes to be fired into ceramics.
To date, a cost-effective kiln furniture article meeting all these requirements has not been realized.